Fishing Line Reel with Rapid Line Payout

ABSTRACT

A reel for fishing line or the like provides for extremely rapid payout by releasing the line to unwind by sliding rapidly around a guide surrounding the line spool and by rotation of the line spool itself. A lever controls a line guide preventing sliding of the fishing line around the guide and providing controllable friction and locking of rotation of the line spool only when actuated by the user to permit retraction of the line or controlled tensioning of the line.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation application of U.S. Non-Provisionalapplication Ser. No. 14/270,817 filed May 6, 2014 which claims thebenefit of U.S. Provisional Application 61/820,297 filed May 7, 2013both of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a reel for winding and storing fishingline or the like and more particularly to a reel that provides rapidpayout of the fishing line, for example, as required when the reel isused for bow fishing.

In bow fishing, an arrow is fitted with a lightweight hut sturdy huewhich may pay out behind the arrow when the arrow is shot from a bow.The line allows the arrow and/or arrow and fish, to be retrieved afterthe shot.

It is important that the line be stored without tangling before releaseof the arrow and yet be able to pay out rapidly with little resistancewhen the arrow is released. Conventional reels which rotate to wind orunwind line present substantial rotational inertia that can interferewith free flight of the arrow.

These problems of line storage and release are addressed in a novel bowfishing reel described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,383,516, assigned to theassignee of the present invention, in which the line is loosely coiledin a bottle. After the line is pulled from the bottle by the arrow,opposed rubber rollers at the mouth of the bottle clamp together aboutthe line and push it into the bottle under the urging of a geared crankhandle. The line is stored without winding in a loose mass within thebottle that nevertheless resists tangling.

An alternative to the above design can be found in conventional spincasting reels, for example, the type described in U.S. Pat. No.6,375,107, in which the axis of the spool about which the line is woundis parallel to the direction that the line pays out after arrow release,which are sometimes used for bow fishing. As the line pays out, the lineslips over the edge of the reel unwinding without rotation of the reelor the need to overcome a corresponding rotational inertia of the reel.The line is returned to the reel by a bail arm or similar deviceorbiting the reel as driven by a crank arm. The bail arm catches theline to wrap it around the reel without reel rotation. Such spin castingreels may be attached to cantilevered arms extending forward from thebow riser. Before drawing the bow and releasing the arrow, the user useshis or her free hand to press a thumb button on the rear of the reel torelease the bail arm or fold the bail arm back.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a fishing line reel that improves uponconventional spin casting reels in a number of ways, particularly whenused for bow fishing. First, the reel may default to a state allowingrapid line release rather than requiring conscious release of a lineguide used for winding. In this way, the user cannot forget to releasethe line guide before releasing the drawn arrow avoiding the possibilitythat the line will break or the arrow may stretch the line and recoil,or the reel may be damaged.

Spooling line back on the reel may be initiated by a trigger leverspring biased to the line releasing state but readily actuated byfingers of the same hand supporting the bow. Motion of the lever maysmoothly vary the amount of resistance to the line unspooling or maylock the line spool against rotation.

During unspooling, both the line spool on which the line is wound mayrotate and the line guide may be retracted. This dual-action improvesthe smooth unspooling of fishing line during high-speed payout offishing line at arrow flight speeds.

In one embodiment, the invention provides a fishing line reel includinga housing that supports a crank mechanism operable by a user forrotating a first shaft extending along an axis with respect to thehousing. The housing holds a line spool that can rotate about the firstshaft. A winder rotates with the first shaft using a line guide forcatching a fishing line so that the fishing line winds about the linespool with rotation of the first shaft when the line guide is in anextended position. On the other hand, when the line guide is in aretracted position, it frees the fishing line so that the fishing linedoes not wind about the line spool with the rotation of the first shaft.A lever mechanism is positioned to be operable by the user to move theline guide from the retracted position to the extended position when thelever moves between a released position and an actuated position and abias spring biases the lever mechanism to move the line guide to thereleased position.

It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention toprovide a fishing line reel that defaults to a line release positionreducing the chance of arrow recoil or damage if the user fails toremember to release a bail arm prior to the shooting arrow.

It is another feature of at least one embodiment of the invention toprovide for dual action release in which the line is both released fromthe line guide and the line spool allowed to rotate to permit high-speedpayout of the fishing line. While the inventors do not wish to be boundto a particular theory, it is believed that the dual-action reducestwisting that may cause line fouling.

The fishing line reel may include a friction clutch positioned betweenthe line spool and the housing for applying increasing frictionalrestraint to rotation of the line spool with respect to the housing withincreased movement of the lever from the release position to theactuated position. Generally, the frictional restraint may vary smoothlywith continuous movement of the lever from the released position to theactuated position and a substantially constant friction may be obtainedat each lever position. It is thus a feature of at least one embodimentof the invention to provide a user controllable frictional linerestraint that may be controllably varied during a catch rather thanrequiring presetting by the user.

The friction clutch may be a wave washer.

It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention toprovide a compact and simple friction element that also provides adesired spring biasing.

The fishing line red may further include a dog clutch positioned betweenthe line spool and the housing creating interference restraint torotation of the line spool with respect to the housing with movement ofthe lever toward the actuated position after an increasing frictionalrestraint by the friction clutch.

It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention toallow the user to lock the line spool against rotation again by simplelever action of the same lever that controls frictional engagement.

The dog clutch may provide a set of inter engaging teeth between thehousing and the line spool.

It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention toprovide a compact spool locking mechanism using portions of the housingand line spool.

The winder may provide a fishing line deflector positioned coaxiallyabout the first shaft and presenting a peripheral surface allowing theline to freely slide circumferentially about the axis along the fishingline deflector when the line guide is in the retracted position.

It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention topromote rapid line payout when the line guide is disengaged from theline.

The line guide may be a pin extending rearward parallel to the firstaxis in the extended position arid retracting forwardly parallel to thefirst axis in the retracted position.

It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention toprovide a robust line guide that may be simply operated by atension-controlling lever.

The fishing line reel may further include a cover fitting over thewinder and line spool and providing a front opening centered about theaxis for receiving the fishing line along the axis.

It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention toprovide a guide to the fishing line promoting fast payout and reducingline fouling.

The winder may provide a circular fishing line deflector providing aradially symmetric outer surface guiding fishing line from the openingaround the circular fishing line deflector to the line spool.

It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention topromote an even payout of the fishing line.

The line guide may be a pin extending rearward parallel to the firstaxis from the fishing line deflector in the extended position andretracting within the fishing line deflector in the retracted position.

It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention toorient the line guide for engagement with simple axial motion.

The circular fishing line deflector is attached to the first shaft via asliding key allowing translational movement without rotational movementof the fishing line deflector with respect to the first shaft and thelever may communicate via connecting bar through a hollow bore in thefirst shaft to a compression cap pressing the circular fishing linedeflector toward the line spool.

It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention topermit simultaneous control of the line guide and frictional or lockingof the line spool with a simple compressive force applied by the lever.

The fishing line reel may further include at least one rolling elementthrust bearing positioned between the compression cap and the fishingline deflector. It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of theinvention to permit independent control of the line spool restrainingforce (through the frictional clutch) and the line guide restrainingforce (through the crank), for example, to permit locking or tensioningof the line spool when the fishing line is being retracted under controlof the crank and possibly against the force of the fish.

The circular fishing line deflector may provide a first and secondaxially displaced portion wherein the line guide is fixed to a frontmostportion and extends through the rearmost portion, with separationbetween the frontmost portion and rearmost portion moving the line guidebetween the extended position and the retracted position.

It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention toprovide a two-part fishing line deflector that may robustly support theline guide.

The line spool may provide a central hub about which the line is woundhaving a greater diameter toward the opening in the cover through whichthe string exits and a lesser diameter away from the opening.

It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention tocontrol the exit direction of the line to ensure smooth payout.

The lever may extend along a direction perpendicular to the axis.

It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention toposition the lever for ready access by the fingers of a bow-fisher'shand supporting the bow during use of the bow.

The crank mechanism may include a right angle drive so that an axis ofrotation of the crank mechanism by the user is perpendicular to thefirst axis and perpendicular to the extent of the lever.

It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention topermit operation of the crank mechanism by a bow-fisher's free handwithout release of the bow grip.

The fishing line reel may include a mounting bracket attached to thehousing and providing a clamp adapted to attach to a portion of a bowriser, the mounting bracket orienting the housing with the axisextending in a direction of arrow travel from the bow and allowing thehousing to be moved vertically and horizontally with respect to the bowriser.

It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention toprovide a simple method of attaching the fishing line reel to differentbows.

The mounting bracket may attach the housing substantially abutting aside of a bow riser.

It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention tominimize torque on the bow grip when force is applied to the fishingline while permitting the controls of the lever and crank to beconveniently located near the bow-fisher's hand.

The crank mechanism may include a one-way drive allowing the applicationof torque to the crank mechanism in only a single direction by thecrank.

It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention topromote a winding of the fishing line on the spool in a consistentdirection such as promotes consistent and rapid payout.

The line spool includes a hole extending through the hub for tying theline to the hub.

It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention topermit convenient tie-off of the fishing line in a manner that preventsthe fishing line from sliding around the spool during winding.

These particular objects and advantages may apply to only someembodiments falling within the claims and thus do not define the scopeof the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a bow riser portion of a bowhaving the reel of the present invention attached thereto;

FIG. 2 is a side devotional cross-section of the reel of FIG. 1 showingpositioning of the control lever forward in the released position sothat line guide used for winding line around the line spool is retractedand the line spool is free to rotate;

FIG. 3 is a figure similar to that of FIG. 2 showing positioning of thecontrol lever rearward in the actuated position so that line guide usedfor winding line around the line spool is extended for engaging thefishing line and the line spool is locked against rotation;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary exploded view of the mechanism of the reel ofFIG. 1 showing operation of the control lever to extend or retract theline guide within a fishing line deflector and showing positioning ofwave washer used to provide a controlled friction clutch and engagementtabs providing a dog clutch between the housing and the line spool; and

FIG. 5 is a plot of frictional force restraining the line spool againstrotation as a function of the control lever position between a releaseand an actuation point.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to FIG. 1, a bow fishing bow 10 may include a bow frame 12presenting a bow riser 14 providing a grip 16 for gripping by the user'sbow hand 33. The bow riser 14 may provide an arrow shelf 17 above thegrip 16 for supporting the arrow shaft (not shown) before release of thearrow for travel generally along axis 19.

A fishing line reel 20 for storing and paying out fishing line 22 may beattached to the bow riser 14 above the grip 16 to substantially abut thehow riser 14 to one side of the bow riser 14. The fishing line 22 usedin this capacity may be, for example, a braided rather than monofilamentline, for example a braided Dacron roughly 1/32 inches in diameter orsmaller ranging from 50 pound test to 150 pound test that may be readilydistinguished from, for example, fly casting line, by its greaterstrength and substantially greater outer diameter.

The fishing line reel 20 may have a reel housing 23 attached to avertically extending slide 24, the latter received by clamp jaws 26. Theclamp jaws 26 may be held by a base mount 31 which may be attached tothe riser 14 by one or more bolts (not shown) passing through the basemount 31 into standard threaded sight holes on the riser 14. The basemount 31 has a horizontal slot (not shown) holding a captive nut so thatthe clamp jaws 26 may be attached to the base mount 31 by a T-bolt 27and be adjustable horizontally forward and backward along axis 19′-

In use, the slide 24 may be adjusted vertically along an axis 21substantially perpendicular to axis 19 within the clamp jaws 26 andhorizontally along axis 19 by sliding the base mount 31 andhorizontally. After vertical & horizontal positioning is obtained theclamp jaws 26 may be tightened together by tightening T-bolt 27preventing further movement of the slide 24 with respect to the clampjaws 26 while also firmly attaching the clamp jaws 26 to the riser 14via the base 31. The reel housing 23 is positioned to allow the fishingline 22 extending along an axis 19′ parallel to axis 19 to be verticallyaligned with axis 19. Generally the axis 19′ of the fishing line 22 willbe separated horizontally with respect to the axis 19 by displacementdistance 29 of less than substantially three inches and preferably lessthan two inches, significantly limiting torque on the grip 16 whentension is applied to the fishing line 22. A lower end of spool controllever 35 extends out of the reel housing 23 and downward from thehousing 23 along but not necessarily aligned with the vertical axis 21so as to be easily operated by fingers of a hand 33 of the user holdingthe grip 16. When not operated by the user, the control lever 35 will bein a forward released position as shown.

A double handled crank arm 30 may extend from a side of the housing 23to be operated by the user to rotate a crankshaft (not shown in FIG. 1)to rotate the crankshaft about axis 32 perpendicular to axis 19 and axis21. The crank arm 30 may include rotating grips 34 on each end as isgenerally understood in the art.

In normal use, a reel cover 36 may attach to the housing 23 to protectand cover an internal winding mechanism (to be discussed below) and toprovide a frontward guide opening 38 restraining the exit path of thefishing line 22 along the axis 19′.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 4, as noted above, the crank arm 30 mayattach to a crankshaft 40 extending along axis 32 through a support ballbearing 42 held in a right side portion of the housing 23 (not shown)After passing through a ratchet mechanism 45 or similar one-way clutchallowing only clockwise force to be applied to the crankshaft 40 by thecrank arm 30, the crankshaft 40 may attach to bevel gear 44 The bevelgear 44 may engage with and drive a smaller pinion gear 46 attached to adriveshaft 48, the latter extending generally along axis 19′, to rotatethe driveshaft 48 with rotation of the crank anti 30 with a step up inrotational rate caused by the gear ratio between bevel gear 44 andsmaller pinion gear 46.

The driveshaft 48 extends forward from and out of the housing 23 to passprogressively through a wave washer spring 50, a fishing line spool 52having an internal bushing, a needle bearing 54, a second wave washer51, a rear fishing line deflector 56, an E-clip 58, a compressionspring-59, and a front fishing line deflector 60 . A key surface 63 orother spline-type sliding attachment) on the driveshaft 48 is receivedby corresponding key surfaces 64 on the rear and front fishing linedeflectors 56 and 60 so that the rear and front fishing line deflectors56 and 60 rotate with the driveshaft 48 but are free to slide within alimited range axially along axis 19′ with respect to the driveshaft 48.The E-clip 58 attaches to a notch 66 in the driveshaft 48 to restrainforward axial movement of the rear fishing line deflector 56; however,the front fishing line deflector 60 is not so constrained by the E-clip58.

Each of the front fishing line deflector 60 and rear fishing linedeflector 56 provide substantially smooth circular outer peripheriesthat may allow the fishing line 22 to slide helically around axis 19′when paying off of the fishing line spool 52 as will be described below.

The fishing line spool 52 has a generally frustoconical hub 70 taperingto a larger diameter from rear to front (toward the guide opening 38)and flanked by front and rear radially extending rims 72 and 74 whichserve to retain coiled fishing line 22 on the hub 70. The front edge ofthe hub 70 may include a hole 76 passing generally parallel to a tangentline of the outer periphery of the hub 70 that allows the fishing line22 to be tied positively to the hub 70 without slipping with rotation ofthe fishing line spool 52.

The rear rim 72 may include teeth 75 that may engage corresponding teeth77 on a front edge of the housing 23 when wave washer spring 50 is fullycompressed which allows the rim 74 to move rearward as will bediscussed.

The lever 35 may attach inside the housing 23 at its upper end at afulcrum point 78 so that the lever 35 may pivot thereabout. In additionthe lever 35 may pivotally attach at a point where it crosses axis 19′to a through shaft 80 that passes forward through a hollow boreextending axially through the driveshaft 48 along axis 19′. The throughshaft 80 may thus slide smoothly through the hollow bore of thedriveshaft 48 with movement of the lever 35 and without interferencewith rotation of the driveshaft 48. An end of the through shaft 80extending through the driveshaft 48 may be attached to an end cap 82which may press against the front surface of the front fishing linedeflector 60 through a thrust needle bearing 62 so as to providecompressive force along axis 19′ without constraining the rotation ofthe front fishing line deflector 60 when the lever 35 is pulled back.

A line guide pin 84 is embedded in the front fishing line deflector 60to extend from a rear of the periphery of the front fishing linedeflector 60 generally parallel to axis 19 but displaced therefrom. Theline guide pin 84 may be received within a loose aligned bore formed inthe rear fishing line deflector 56 to slide there through.

The action of the wave washer spring 50 and compression spring 59 servesto move the lever to the forward released position when it is notpressed by the user. in this released position, the end cap 82 may movefreely forward under the influence of the spring bias of compressionspring 59 and wave washer spring 50 as urged by the interveningstructure of the line spool 52 and the rear and front fishing linedeflectors 56 and 60. Compression spring 59 separates the rear fishingline deflector 56 from the front fishing line deflector 60 pulling theline guide pin 84 fully within the rear fishing line deflector 56 sothat it may not interfere with a sliding of the fishing line 22 aroundthe smooth, radially symmetrical outer peripheries of the line guides 56and 60 during an unspooling operation. In addition wave washer spring 50separates the teeth 77 and 75 of the housing 23 and rear rims 74 so thatthe line spool 52 may freely rotate. It will be understood thereforethat paying out of the fishing line 22 is facilitated both by theability of the fishing line 22 to pass freely around the fishing linedeflectors 56 and 60 in an unwrapping process and rotation of thefishing line spool 52.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, with rearward motion of the lever 35,the through shaft 80 is pulled backward pulling end cap 82 against thefront fishing line deflector 60 and pulling the rear rim 74 of thefishing line spool 52 toward the housing 23. Free rotation of thefishing line deflectors 56 and 60 under compression is ensured by needlebearings 62 and 54: however, the compression causes increased frictionbetween the fishing line spool 52 and the housing 23 with increasedcompression of the wave washer spring 50 such as it increases both thecontact area between the wave washer spring 50 and these flankingsurfaces and the force of contact. In this way the wave washer spring 50provides part of a friction clutch.

Referring now momentarily also to FIG. 5, generally the frictional forcebetween the line spool 52 and the housing 23 when the lever 35 is in thereleased position 90 shown in FIG. 2 will be substantially zero asensured by the roller bearings 54 and 62. With drawing back of the lever35 by the user, pulling the lever 35 rearward, increased force ofcompression on wave washer spring 50 causes a smooth increase infrictional force in region 92. When the lever is fully pulled back to anactuation point 94, the teeth 75 of the rim 74 may engage teeth 77 ofthe housing 23 to provide a dog clutch positively locking the twotogether and providing substantially infinite rotational resistance upto the point of breakage. It will be noted that the actual control ofthe tension of the fishing line 22 will be a function both of restraintof the line spool 52 and prevention of rotation of the rear and frontfishing line deflectors 56, the latter effected through the user controlof the crank arm 30.

Referring still to FIGS. 3 and 4, retraction of the lever 35 rearward tothe actuation position also provides an extension of the line guide pin84 from a rear surface of the rear fishing line deflector 56 so that itmay catch the fishing line 22 and, with rotation driven by the crank arm30, wrap the fishing line 22 around the fishing line spool 52 which isnow held in a locked position.

During use, an arrow slide on an arrow (not shown but as depicted inU.S. Pat. No. 6,517,453 hereby incorporated by reference) will beattached to a free end of the fishing line 22 and engage with thebowstring, for example, held by the user's right hand (assuming a righthanded user and bow) while the user's left hand holds the grip 16 asshown in FIG. 1. The user's lingers will be free of the lever 35 andthus when the arrow is released the fishing line 22 will be able to payout at rapid speed. For retrieval of the arrow and fishing line 22, theuser may simply extend the fingers of the hand 33 holding the bow toengage the lever 35 and pull it back into a frictional or lockingengagement. The user's right hand will then be able to operate the crankarm 30. By simultaneous control of the crank arm 30 and the lever 35tensioning, retraction of the fishing line may be flexibly controlled.

Certain terminology is used herein for purposes of reference only, andthus is not intended to be limiting. For example, terms such as “upper”,“lower”, “above”, and “below” refer to directions in the drawings towhich reference is made. Terms such as “front”, “back”, “rear”, “bottom”and “side”, describe the orientation of portions of the component withina consistent but arbitrary frame of reference which is made clear byreference to the text and the associated drawings describing thecomponent under discussion. Such terminology may include the wordsspecifically mentioned above, derivatives thereof, and words of similarimport. Similarly, the terms “first”, “second” and other such numericalterms referring to structures do not imply a sequence or order unlessclearly indicated by the context.

When introducing elements or features of the present disclosure and theexemplary embodiments, the articles “a”, “an”, “the” and “said” areintended to mean that there are one or more of such elements orfeatures. The terms “comprising”, “including” and “having” are intendedto be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements orfeatures other than those specifically noted. It is further to beunderstood that the method steps, processes, and operations describedherein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring theirperformance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unlessspecifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to beunderstood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.

It is specifically intended that the present invention not be limited tothe embodiments and illustrations contained herein and the claims shouldbe understood to include modified forms of those embodiments includingportions of the embodiments and combinations of elements of differentembodiments as come within the scope of the following claims. All of thepublications described herein, including patents and non-patentpublications, are hereby incorporated herein by reference in theirentireties.

What we claim is:
 1. A fishing line reel providing rapid line payoutcomprising: a housing supporting: a crank mechanism operable by a userfor rotating a crankshaft extending along a first axis and rotating adrive shaft extending along a second axis with respect to the housingsubstantially perpendicular to the first axis; a line spool rotatableabout the drive shaft; a winder attached to rotate with the drive shaftfor catching a fishing line so that the fishing line winds about theline spool with rotation of the drive shaft when the winder is engagedand for freeing the fishing line so that the fishing line does not windabout the hue spool with the rotation of the drive shaft when the winderis disengaged; an operator operable by the user to move the winderbetween the engaged and disengaged positions; and a bias spring movingthe winder to the disengaged position whenever the operator is notoperated by the user and moving the winder to the engaged position onlywhen operated by the user.
 2. The fishing line reel of claim 1 whereinthe winder provides a fishing line deflector positioned coaxially aboutthe chive shaft and presents a peripheral surface allowing the line tofreely slide circumferentially about the second axis along the fishingline deflector when the winder is in the disengaged position.
 3. Thefishing line reel of claim 1 further including a cover fitting over thewinder and line spool and providing a front opening centered about thesecond axis for receiving the fishing line along the second axis.
 4. Thefishing line reel of claim 3 wherein the line spool is in front of thecrank mechanism along the second axis and the winder is in front of theline spool along the second axis and the opening in the cover is infront of the winder.
 5. The fishing line reel of claim 4 wherein thewinder provides a circular fishing line deflector providing a radiallysymmetric outer surface guiding fishing line from the opening around thecircular fishing line deflector to the line spool.
 6. The fishing linereel of claim 5 wherein the circular fishing line deflector is attachedto the drive shaft via a sliding key allowing translational movementwithout rotational movement of the circular fishing line deflector withrespect to the drive shaft and wherein the operator communicates via aconnecting bar through a hollow bore in the drive shaft to a compressioncap pressing the circular fishing line deflector toward the line spool.7. The fishing line reel of claim 6 further including at least onerolling element thrust bearing separating the fishing line deflectorfrom stationary structure.
 8. The fishing line reel of claim 5 whereinthe line spool provides a central hub about which the line is woundhaving a greater diameter toward the opening and a lesser diameter awayfrom the opening.
 9. The fishing line reel of claim 1 further includinga mounting bracket supporting a bow displaced from the housing along thefirst axis.
 10. The fishing line reel of claim 9 wherein the operator isa lever extending from the housing along a third axis substantiallyperpendicular to the first and second axes and the crank mechanismincludes a right angle drive so that an axis of rotation of the crankmechanism by the user is perpendicular to the second axis andperpendicular to an extent of the lever.
 11. The fishing line reel ofclaim 1 further including a mounting bracket adapted to attach to thehousing substantially abutting a side of a bow riser.
 12. The fishingline reel of claim 1 wherein the line spool includes a hole extendingthrough a hub of the line spool for tying the line to the hub.
 13. Thefishing line reel of claim 1 further including a pin movable withrespect to the rotatable winder for catching the fishing line so thatthe fishing line winds about the line spool with rotation of the driveshaft when the pin is in an extended position extending from the winderand for freeing the fishing line so that the fishing line does not windabout the line spool with the rotation of the drive shaft when the pinis in the retracted position retracted into the winder.
 14. The fishingline reel of claim 13 wherein the pin moves from the retracted positionto the extended position when the winder moves from the disengagedposition to the engaged position.
 15. A fishing line reel providingrapid line payout comprising: a housing supporting: a crank mechanismoperable by a user for rotating a crankshaft extending along a firstaxis and rotating a drive shaft extending along a second axis withrespect to the housing substantially perpendicular to the first axis; aline spool rotatable about the drive shaft; a winder attached to rotatewith the drive shaft for catching a fishing line so that the fishingline winds about the line spool with rotation of the drive shaft whenthe winder is engaged and for freeing the fishing line so that thefishing line does not wind about the line spool with the rotation of thedrive shaft when the winder is disengaged; an operator operable by theuser to move the winder between the engaged and disengaged positions andto apply increasing frictional restraint to rotation of the line spoolwith respect to the housing with user operation of the operatorincreasing movement of the operator from a released position to anactuated position.
 16. The fishing line reel of claim 15 wherein thefrictional restraint varies smoothly with continuous movement of theoperator from the released position to the actuated position andprovides substantially constant frictional restraint at each operatorposition.
 17. The fishing line reel of claim 16 wherein the frictionclutch includes a wave washer.
 18. The fishing line reel of claim 15further including a dog clutch positioned between the line spool and thehousing creating interference restraint to rotation of the line spoolwith respect to the housing with movement of the operator toward theactuated position after an increasing frictional restraint by thefriction clutch.
 19. The fishing line reel of claim 18 wherein the dogclutch provides a set of interengaging teeth between the housing and theline spool.